Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Have any of you driven through eastern Loudoun lately?
It is a dystopian landscape of data centers everywhere. Data centers do not require a lot of employees. What they do require is huge, huge amounts of energy.
The data centers drive the AI industry and the high tech industry. But they use a lot of energy. Count on your electric bills going through the roof until they figure out alternative energy sources. Within the industry, some are considering nuclear energy to fill the need.
And since batteries are not an energy source, only an energy storage device, that $700 million is best spent elsewhere.
The batteries stores solar and wind generated energy. 93% of the new generated electricity was solar last year and it is looking like it will be more this year. Solar with batteries by itself can easily supply all the increase electricity demand(estimated at 3.5% for the next 10 years). This does not even include wind.
No one is building coal or nuclear power plants. The gas plants are one of the most expensive sources of power and are alway the first taken off line.
Building a gas power plant requires pipelines, turbines, transformers, switchgear, and pipe. All of which have spiked in cost including the fuel- natural gas. There are severe and long term bottlenecks on turbines.
The option is to use solar, wind and batteries and actually easily meet demand at reduce rate or do what you want and pay through the nose. It would be nice to actually be able to manufacture these things in the US but I guess maga is against manufacturing things in the US.
Another point is the Chinese are getting spin off technological break through similar to what we got with a space program. The military applications for the battery technology, electric motors, lidar, lithium processing, etc will be needed to stay relevant.
Europe has done all this, and the result has been higher energy costs, and deindustrualization.
Somehow reality never matches the theory.
Well no that is not true. They are starting to this. The US, China and Europe have an established grid generating power with old power plants that are still in their life cycle. The new energy generation is solar, wind and batteries. It has captured all the growth because it is cheaper to build and run vs fossil fuel and nuclear.
Look at the compound annual growth rate(CAGR) in solar, wind and EVs(all incorporate batteries). Solar and wind projected CAGR per year 2025-2030.
Europe Solar 12.3% wind 11-12%
USA 15.11% grid(down from 23% past 5 years)Wind 15.2%
Central America and South America 20% Wind 5-8%
Australian 14-16% Wind 19%
Asia 25% Wind 10-12%
Africa 31.9% Wind 12%
Middle East 12-27% Wind 5-12%
EVs projected CAGR is 32% or $1.5 trillion to $6.5 trillion by 2030.
This is all at current pricing. Solar and wind keep improving generational efficiency and reducing cost. EV batteries are currently at 165 kWh/kg and cost $139 per kWh. They are projected to increase in energy density to 400-500 kWh/kg and cost $50-$80 per kWh. Add in electric motor improvements - 750 horse power from a 25 pound motor with a 20% reduction in energy consumption.
EVs by 2030 conservatively could cost 1/2 the price of an ICE and have a 750 mile range.